Hitting the Wall and Time Restricted Eating are todays's topics. Alison and Janine get their questions answered!

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SHOW NOTES 

(03:00)

Alison’s question is about TIME RESTRICTED EATING and fitting that in with her half marathon training.

 Alison, she is running her first half marathon next spring. She is an early morning runner and usually runs in the fasted state. Also she never eats before noon as she follows a time restricted eating plan where she only eats between noon and 8pm each day. She has been following this food plan approach for over 12 months and uses it to manage her weight. Alison knows she will have to make some adaptations for her training and for race day and is looking for some tips and advice.

 (04:14)

An overview of approaches to training around Time Restricted Eating that Alison can consider are: 

·      Plan her long run training to take place during her eating window

·      OR on her long run days change her eating pattern … maybe her eating window could still be 8 hours but earlier in the day or perhaps have a longer eating window. It would also be key to mirror the approximate timings for race day, by that we mean if the start time is early in race day, it would be good to practice fueling for training during a similar time frame.

(06:05)

Tips when practicing pre/during and post fueling and adapting to time restricted eating

If you’re not used to eating early in the day, it’ll take your digestive system a little bit of time to get used to a change in eating patterns, so start trialing with small quantities of food and build up gradually. Alison has several months to practice her nutritional changes, so as long as she makes a plan and practices that’ll help everything go smoothly.

We talk about Intermittent Fasting in Epiosde 18

It’s important to remember:

• Never run on empty i.e., fasted (unless it’s an easy run less than 90 minutes)
• Remember to build in post run recovery fueling
• ALWAYS choose healthy food (no processed/junk food)
• Follow PLATE balance (macronutrients – Protein/Carbohydrates/Fat and micronutrients – vitamins and minerals)
• Have a timed routine for your meals/snacks within “eating window”

Listen to your body – respond and adapt! Don’t be too rigid with the eating window during training days. If you experience any negative effects on performance, energy levels, or overall well-being, you might need to adjust your approach. 

(10:37)

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(13:33)

Janine’s question is about avoiding “hitting the wall” on a marathon race.

Janine ran her first marathon back in 2018. Unfortunately, she didn’t finish the race as she “hit the wall”, it was a horrible experience and she’s always felt cheated that she didn’t achieve her dream running goal.

She is a determined lady and has recently retired and decided she is going to give it another go but this time wants to do everything she can to avoid that happening again including managing her nutrition. Janine is asking for our tips and advice.

(14:27)

What is the root cause of “hitting the wall”?

“Hitting the wall or bonking” as it’s sometimes called, usually occurs around the 19/20 mile mark. When someone hits the wall they are likely to experience:

·      An overwhelming feeling of heaviness in the legs

·      An increased desire to walk

·      Lack of concentration

·      Feelings of outright despair

It is well known that the root cause is a combination of sudden onset and debilitating fatigue and a lack of available fuel (so the body’s glycogen stores are depleted). Carbohydrates are a limiting factor in running performance…so hitting the wall is potentially one consequence of not fueling appropriately.

(16:05)

A strategy for avoiding “hitting the wall would include: 

1.    Planning run training plan and nutrition pre/during/post – to optimise endurance

2.    Considering race plan and fueling and hydration pre and during race

3.    Mental preparation.

(18:43)

Carbohydrate and Hydration Status are associated with “hitting the wall” so it’ll be crucial that Janine pays attention to these factors in training and during the race. 

(20:10)

The body can only store a limited amount of carbohydrate, as glycogen, mostly in the liver and skeletal muscles, hence why it is a limiting factor in running performance. So, in the Hit The Wall phenomenon, the key factor is thought to be poor race nutrition leading to the glycogen “tank” (so the fuel tank) being empty as the runner reaches that 20-mile mark.

(21:15)

Nutritional Strategy for marathons

It’s important to increase carbohydrate intake in the days leading up to a marathon event, we’d use the heavy training athletes plate as guidance.

The aim of the pre-race meal/snack is to maximise glycogen stores and readily available glucose by consuming sufficient carbohydrate so that you optimise fuel availability for the race. This is particularly important for events starting in the morning because carbohydrate intake can:

·      Restore liver glycogen following an overnight fast

·      Provide an ongoing supply of carbohydrate from the digestive system

Ideally Janine should plan her pre-race meal approximately 2 hours before the start of the race – a carb rich meal including some easy to digest protein an example would be a bowl of porridge with nut butter and yoghurt or eggs with toast and then have a quick release carbohydrate snack 30 minutes before the start of the race.

If we were to work professionally with Janine, we’d assess what her personal requirements were for carbohydrate intake and help her create a race day timeline including travelling time and the potential waiting time at the start of the race. 

(24:03)

During race fueling and hydration

How you fuel during the race fueling is vital, we’d suggest consuming quick release carbohydrate at the rate of 30-60g of CHO every 45 minutes. Our advice would be to start fueling early into the race and then at regular intervals throughout the race … some people prefer to fuel every 30 minutes, others at longer intervals.

The most important thing is to PRACTICE over and over during training so your body is used to digesting this amount of carbohydrate whilst running and this will help to limit the possibility of any digestive distress or any other symptoms caused by eating/drinking during a race e.g. cramps, stitch.

Hydration requirements and the need for electrolytes will be individual and should also be practiced in training. Remember to increase fluid intake if weather conditions are hot…and/or if you have a high sweat rate. Small amounts taken often may be preferable, especially if you are a fast runner as you may find it difficult to drink large volumes of fluids.

 (27:17)

Mental Preparation

It’s thought that if a runner can recognise the early signs leading up to Hitting The Wall, then they may be able to take remedial action, so having thought this potential scenario through before a race can help a runner in the moment.

Sports psychologists recommend staying in the present and using an associative strategy to push through HTW e.g. Focus on the race, what's happening in the body and ways it might adapt to the situation. Also, a runner could talk to self … for example asking questions like "Have I had an energy drink or nutrition lately?" and/or "Can I vary my pace slightly?" We go into this subject in a bit more detail in episode 100.

It's important to remember that each individual is different, so Janine should experiment with different strategies during her training to find what works best for her body. Good luck to Janine on her marathon journey!

(30:17)

Key Take Away

 The important thing for all runners to consider is that generic advice is helpful but you’ll get a much better result if you are able to personalise nutritional advice to suit you and your goals, your training and race and your lifestyle. If you’d like some expert input please book a call we’d love to help you.

Download our FREE E book TOP Running Snacks and Nutrient Timing to Fuel Peak Performance

Related Topics:

Fuelling Marathon Running

Marathon Running: Hitting The Wall

Intermittent Fasting and the Female Runner

Time Restricted Eating and Running Performance

Disclaimer:

The suggestions we make during this episode are for guidance and advice only, and are not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. If you have any concerns regarding your health, please contact your healthcare professional for advice as soon as possible.

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